1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a switching device and an instrument having the same.
2. Description of Related Art
Japanese Patent No. 2953492B2 teaches a switching device of a vehicle instrument. In this switching device, a manipulation knob is provided to operate a switch, and resin springs are provided in parallel to the switch to urge the manipulation knob away from the switch in an axial direction of the manipulation knob.
Furthermore, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2006-123850A recites a vehicle instrument, which can improve a reliability of soldering of a terminal of a switch. In this vehicle instrument, the switch is installed to a circuit board of the vehicle instrument, and a manipulation knob is received in a hole of a front cover of the vehicle instrument in such a manner that the manipulation knob is movable forward or backward in an axial direction of the manipulation knob and is rotatable about a central axis of the manipulation knob.
In Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2006-123850A, when the manipulation knob is rotated about the central axis of the manipulation knob, an operable portion of the switch is rotated. Furthermore, when the manipulation knob is depressed in the axial direction, the operable portion of the switch is depressed. The manipulation knob is tiltably installed to the operable portion of the switch, and a metal spring (coil spring), which urges the manipulation knob against one side of an inner peripheral portion of the hole of the front cover, is provided. The metal spring is provided separately from the manipulation knob and is placed parallel to the switch.
In Japanese Patent No. 2953492B2, the resin springs are provided in parallel to the switch. Furthermore, in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2006-123850A, the metal spring is provided separately from the manipulation knob and is provided parallel to the switch. As discussed above, in the prior art techniques, the spring, which holds the manipulation knob, is the metal spring or the resin spring.
In the case of the metal spring, an additional cost of the metal spring is disadvantageously added, and an additional step of assembling the metal spring is disadvantageously required. Thereby, the costs are disadvantageously increased. In the case where the resin springs are provided in parallel to the switch, a size of the manipulation knob arrangement (including the manipulation knob and the springs) measured in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the manipulation knob is disadvantageously increased, so that an installation space, which is required to install the manipulation knob arrangement, which includes the manipulation knob and the springs, is disadvantageously increased, and thereby there is a spatial limitation with respect to placement of the components, resulting a limited design freedom.